Despite my intent,
too often I attend theatre with a skewed
expectation of the work I am about to see
-to love it, to hate it, to not understand
it. Or worse, I carry a premeditated theory
about what and how the piece will say what
it has to say. In the press notes for Fêtes
de la Nuit –Charles L. Mee’s
play currently running at the Ohio Theatre-
it is described as “A deliciously
naughty valentine to Paris.” With
that idea in tow, I anticipated a coquettish
survey of Parisian culture, not the intriguing
anthropological meditation it actually is.

Even the prologue –a
symbolic amuse-bouche to the main course-
seems to be an invitation to experience
how it is to live in Paris. Upon entering
the theatre, there is a bustling café
in lieu of the traditional rows of theatre
seats. It is replete with several communal
tables at and around which couples speak
in French and waiters offer wine. There’s
a faint smell of cigarette smoke and above
the din there is music that can’t
be identified, but is distinctly French.
Unfortunately this lasts only a few moments
before one of the waiters announces they
are “closing” the café
and we are ushered to the aforementioned
theatre seats that I was initially so pleased
to be rid of.

Here, the structure takes
on a more traditional form, though Mee’s
writing is arguably anything but traditional.
Strangely, Director Kim Weild seems to understand
his penchant toward the avant-garde, but
only manages to meet it half way. The text
alone of Fêtes de la Nuit
invites its audience to acknowledge that
we surely know something about the intimacies
it’s exploring. But unfortunately
the very act of corralling us into stadium
seating and putting on a play, disregards
our RSVP of “oui, bien sur!”
to become part of the experiment.

Despite Weilds’
misstep in that arena, her staging leaves
little to be desired. She’s mastered
the art of scene transitions sans blackouts,
by way of intricate choreography and precise
timing. Through a pastiche of societal profiles,
the action progresses as a sequence of unhinged
moments, some remarkable and inventive,
others clichéd and uninspired. Thankfully,
there are more of the prior, as their colorful
essence lingers long after the show’s
end and that’s what’s worth
examining:

There’s a stunning
figure drawing sequence between a man and
a woman - the beautiful Jessica Green and
the chiseled Khris Lewin. The pair enters
and nonchalantly begin removing their clothing
and what begins as a series of typical poses
gradually morphs into an athletic display
of Kama Sutra-like positions; their naked
torsos and organs unapologetically kneading
into one another. It’s courageous,
erotic and sensual and yet –brilliantly-
the charge is never sexual.

In another, two “graces”
– played seductively and coyly by
Jubil Khan and Christine Rebecca Herzog
– engage in a sultry pas de deux involving
a croissant and strawberry preserves, that’s
illustrative of the respective goods we
carry into relationships and our reluctance
to share them. Though there isn’t
any dialogue throughout the exchange, it
seems to say, “I’ve got the
bread, you’ve got the jam, imagine
what it’d be like if we got together?”

There are amusing characters
- like Barbeso (played charismatically by
Luis Moreno) who takes us on a tour of the
Jardin du Luxembourg by recounting his array
of sexual conquests at each of the gardens
sites – and those that are heartbreaking
– like Jean-Francois (as portrayed
through fierce physical acting by Kyle Knauf)
who wakes up “shattered” each
day, haunted by the memory of his dead wife.

In what is perhaps the
most fascinating exploration of Fêtes
de la Nuit, Henry, the demonstrative American
(Danyon Davis) proposes to Yvette (the lovely
Ana Grosse) as a means of introduction.
He posits a metaphysical reasoning (a la
Malcom Gladwell’s Blink) that via
rapid cognition, we innately know so much
of another person in the first few moments
we’ve known them. Indeed, that at
the end of most relationships we say, “I
should have known at the beginning”
when in fact we did know at the beginning.

There is a point where
the aforementioned Barbesco says, “In
love, we come to know what it means to be
a human being,” and if there were
a central thesis of these “Celebrations
of the Night”, that statement would
serve nicely. Using it’s beats as
a looking glass, we have the opportunity
to see that in our lives, there really is
nothing else but an endless parade of moments,
rehearsals, epiphanies, sorrows, ecstasies,
etc, and they’re all worth celebrating.

Fêtes de la
Nuit runs from February 8 - 27, 2010
in a limited engagement at the Ohio Theatre,
located at 66 Wooster Street (between Spring
& Broome)

Tickets: $18 available
at www.brownpapertickets.com or 1-800-838-3006.

*The performance
includes strong language and nudity - no
one under 15 years old will be admitted.

Valerie Harper’s
spirited, ferocious embodiment of the ever-fascinating,
forever-enigmatic, larger-than-life cultural
figure- extraordinaire, Tallulah Bankhead
in Matthew Lombardo’s new play Looped
is the reason expressions like ‘tour-de
force’ were coined. It’s also
the reason to see the play. The only reason,
really. But what a fabulous reason, dah-ling!

From her hilariously profane
grande (dame) entrance to her poignant revisiting
of the debacle that was her Blanche DuBois
in a revival of A Streetcar Named Desire
to her perfectly fitting exit, Harper commands
and demands the stage, captivates the audience
and probably scares a few unsuspecting tourists
hanging outside the Lyceum Theatre. The
real Tallulah would be proud!

Realize, though, that
this isn’t simply an impersonation
of the diva—although the distinct
gravelly voice, hearty laugh and overdone
entitled manner as well as the witty wisecracks
are all there (and would make a drag queen
proud)—Harper, however dives deeper
into the character allowing us to see the
pain and anguish of a woman who should have
had a more celebrated career; a woman born
way before her time. Today, she’d
probably be a rock star.

Tallulah Bankhead was
one of the most intriguing actresses of
the last century and, like Mae West, pushed
the envelope of accepted behavior by a woman
in the entertainment business. Bankhead
enjoyed a proud decadent lifestyle that
included lots of sex, booze and drugs—usually,
frankly and coarsely boasting about it all.

Her performance in Alfred
Hitchcock’s 1944 classic Lifeboat,
is proof positive that she had tremendous
acting chops. Unfortunately, she would not
get many opportunities, allegedly, because
of her temperament.

Lombardo’s play,
too-often focuses on cliché and overly
simplistic explanations about her life and
career. Although I do give him props for
writing some terrific lines and appropriating
a lot of wonderful Bankhead quotes into
his script. I also give him credit for writing
within a framework that recognizes and acknowledges
the camp factor inherent in the material.

The barebones plot of
the play presents an exhausted Bankhead
arriving at a recording studio in 1965 so
she can dub one unintelligible (and ridiculous)
line in what would be her final and ironically
titled film, Die! Die! My Darling.
She is greeted by the film’s editor
(an unimpressive Brian Hutchison) and we
learn way too much about him—especially
in Act Two. While I appreciate the device,
his development brings the play to a halt.
Thank God Harper is there to ram it right
back on track.

Best known for her role
as Rhoda Morgenstern on the late 70s sitcom
The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Valerie
Harper has finally found a vehicle that
proves she has range way beyond the land
of sitcoms.

Despite its shortcomings,
Looped proves to be a one-woman triumph
for the great Ms. Harper and a lovely tribute
to the great Tallulah Bankhead.

It’s early morning
at Sardi’s—well, early for me,
anyway—and theatre folk are gathering
for a Meet and Greet of sorts for a new
play about to make its way from a small
theatre way off-Broadway to the Helen Hayes
in the heart of the Great White Way, which
happens to be located a few feet from the
legendary Sardi’s. The excitement
is palpable, which feels like an overused
cliché, but it really is. As a matter
of fact, the enthusiasm is a bit overwhelming.
Imagine a smiling cast…smiling writer…smiling
director…smiling producers…
smiling press reps (well, we expect that)…smiling
photographers… smiling journalists…wait,
what? Smiling journalists? Seriously? Did
Brangelina run naked through the streets
with their children? Has Roman Polanski
been extradited and convicted? Was Tiger
Woods caught doing A-Rod? No? No one famous
maimed? No careers ruined? No blood? No
scandal? Then why are journalists smiling?
That never happens. Well, it’s happening
this morning.

Bizarre as it may seem,
print, TV, radio and online press are all
excited about the Broadway opening of Next
Fall, the Geoffrey Nauffts play that
examines the complexities of clashing faiths
within a same-sex marriage. Geoffrey who,
you ask? Oh, you will know his name soon
enough. Nurtured at the impressive OB theatre
group, Naked Angels, Next Fall
opened in June of 2009 to ecstatic reviews
and great audience acclaim, extending three
times.

“This
is by far one of the most beautiful plays
I have ever read.” Patrick
Heusinger, who plays Luke, the young, gay
Christian part of the central couple.

Praise for the play percolates
and permeates the room. Playwright Geoffrey
Nauffts has the kind of respect and admiration
from his cast and director that most playwrights
dream about.

“The
play is a ‘five-course meal.”
Patrick Breen, who plays atheist/agnostic
Adam

“Topicality
is complementary to the larger themes. “
Sean Dugan, who plays the paradoxical Brandon

“This
play makes you ask questions without being
didactic. And it turns what you believe
on its head.”
Maddie Corman, who plays self-described
“fag-hag” Holly

“You
could be a right-wing Christian or a left
wing gay or a housewife from New Jersey
and (this play) will touch you and that’s
the genius of the play.”
Cotter Smith, who plays fundamentalist Christian,
Butch

“Takes
you from screaming laughing funny to heartbreaking…it’s
about redefining what a family is.”
Connie Ray, who plays Luke’s step-mom,
Arlene

Next Fall
Cast at Sardi's
Photo Credit Justin Quackenbush

Rave reviews! And these
are just the cast members!Nauffts did spend
four years and countless workshops honing
the script, and choosing subtly over preachy
and gray shades over black and white. “If
you endow these folks with humanity...they
will start to ask themselves the difficult
questions.” Nauffts also uses his
skills as an actor and director to inform
his work. “I’ve always admired
writers who come from an acting background.
There’s a psychology that they understand…motivation,
what drives character.”

“Geoffrey
Nauffts is one of the smartest, most gracious
people I’ve ever been in a room with
and he has without question made me a better
director.”
Sheryl Kaller

Marrying a good play with
the right director can sometimes be quite
a challenge. However, the general consensus
is that Sheryl Kaller was the perfect choice.
Called an ‘Earth mother’ by
Cotter Smith, Kaller comes across as an
intelligent, savvy and strong craftsman
who has definitely earned the respect of
her actors. “Actors can be very pesky,"
Connie Ray admits. “She gives me great
leeway. I trust her so very much. I would
do anything for her.”

“These
are very brave producers that are bringing
a new play and first time writer to Broadway,
with a cast without Huge Jackman, so it’s
a challenge…”
Cotter Smith

“The
fact that the six of us are going together
makes it less scary and extremely exciting.
I’m still pinching myself.”
Maddie Corman

The mutual love and admiration
these artists seem to genuinely have for
one another borders on the nauseatingly
redundant…and that’s pretty
refreshing! Each and every cast member waxes
esteem and appreciation for one another.
Seriously, one after the other, they will
not stop with the lovefest. It’s crazy.
And wonderful. This makes the fact that
the entire ensemble is moving to Broadway
together all the more special. And in this
day and age, it’s also a minor miracle.

“I
wish I could take credit, I didn’t
have to fight for the cast. Rich and Barb
and Anthony (producers) believe in us. They
understood that we have built an ensemble
and they appreciate that and understand
that and are willing to take the risk.”
Sheryl Kaller

On board from “the
beginning”, producer Barbara Manocherian
whose impressive Broadway credits include:
The Norman Conquests, the new revivals
of Hair and Sunday in the Park
with George, calls her cast “delicious”
and firmly says that there was never any
intention of recasting: “I wouldn’t
have had it any other way. This play is
a star and these kids are phenomenal actors
so…Don’t fix something that’s
not broken.” Manocherian is a charming,
affable and charismatic woman, so its no
surprise she’s also loyal.

“I
think it enhances the intimacy. Now you
may feel the claustrophobia even more.”
Sheryl Kaller

Fears of compromising
the intimacy of the piece by moving into
a larger theatre were immediately dispelled
when Nauffts and Kaller got their dream
house with the Helen Hayes. After the rapturous
reviews, the duo searched certain Off-Broadway
houses but it wasn’t until they saw
the Hayes that they both knew it would be
the only possible home for Next Fall.

“We
get nicer coffee and more muffins. That’s
been the big change.”
Maddie Corman

The transition seems to
be a fairly seamless one. While certain
scenes are being “reimagined,”
the cast, director and writer are hard at
work making certain the play remains the
same.

Nauffts, who is a staff
writer on the popular ABC drama, Brothers
and Sisters, recognizes how fortunate
he is: “It’s surreal. It’s
humbling.” He admits that he did imagine
it could make it to Broadway but: “Did
I ever think it would really happen? No.”

“It’s
a show with soul and heart and depth. I,
as a mother, relate to it…so many
moving moments…so much to think about…so
many issues to talk about. It’s a
show about life today.”
Barbara Manocherian, Producer

The themes Nauffts chooses
to tackle and the particular nature of the
play has been called groundbreaking. The
timeliness of gay marriage and the exploration
of religion within that milieu have rarely,
if ever, been seen onstage. It will be fascinating
to see what a Broadway audience will bring
to the show…and what they will come
away with.

For now, the team is in
rehearsals. Dreams are about to come true.
It’s the best time. Fairy tale time.
And they are living it. Their passion.

Patrick Heusinger’s
infectious enthusiasm sums up the general
feelings felt by everyone in attendance:

“It’s a dream
to take a play from a 99-seat house, with
a cast of people who are not famous, with
a group of producers who just believe in
it passionately, with a director who’s
never been on Broadway, with a writer who
has written his first full-length play…And
to have the opportunity to bring it to a
wider audience like this is very exciting
and magical.”

Most folks today, regardless
of their sexuality, believe that the modern
Gay Rights movement began with the 1969
Stonewall riots. Gifted playwright Jon Marans
has given us a stirring work that explores
the brave men who are the real founders
of that particular civil rights movement,
the Mattachine Society.

In recent films like Revolutionary
Road and on the TV series Mad Men,
the one evocative image of the 1950s, more
than any other, is the dapper business man
in his suit and tie. Here we get five of
them, who are seemingly living the ‘American
Dream’ that is often a cliché
of that decade as well. Ah, but these particular
men have a secret; one that they realize
is shared by many others. One that can get
them ostracized, arrested. One that can
destroy their sense of normalcy.

The power of The Temperamentals
(a now antiquated, then hush-hush euphamism
for homosexuals), is in showing us these
daring men and their intrepid (for some)
and complex journey towards rights that
would ultimately destroy the bullshit cliché
of what the “American Dream”
truly is, dispelling a way of life that
only truly existed in the botched minds
of politicos and the greed-driven brains
of ad execs.

At the play’s core
(and it’s best aspect) is the relationship
between communist organizer Harry Hay (Thomas
Jay Ryan) and a talented costume designer
named Rudi Gernreich (Ugly Betty’s
Michael Urie). This fascinating relationship
is explored in detail. Each have their own
arc as one moves from denial to defiance
while the other takes a backwards leap for
the sake of his rising career.

Urie is absolutely outstanding,
showing us Rudi’s struggle. He is
smart, flirty and flamboyant, but ultimately
frightened. Urie gives him a sexy edge as
well.

Ryan has the showiest
role and plays it to the hilt. The supporting
players aren’t as clearly defined
as they could have and should have been.

And here lies the only
true problem with The Temperamentals.
Too often it is debate overkill. During
the (too many) Mattachine meeting scenes
we are given a bit too much redundancy and
the play tends to meander a bit. It’s
not didactic (perhaps if it was, passion
would allow for forgiveness) as much as
it’s a bit dull. Had the other characters
been fleshed out more and the perilous realities
been depicted in scenes from their lives,
the play could have been more than it is.

Still, The Temperamentals,
capably directed by Jonathan Silverstein,
is a very important work that shines the
light on a very important moment in history,
not just gay history, but history.

Ticket
prices are: $65 and student tickets for
$25 in the mezzanine. The student tickets
are available in advance and must be purchased
at the box office. Special group rates are
also available. Tickets are available at
the New World Stages box office and through
TeleCharge (212) 239-6200 or (800) 432-7250
and TeleCharge.com.

New World Stages
| 340 West
50th Street

David Ives’Venus in Fur
Tuesday through Friday at 8 pm
Saturday at 2 pm and 8 pm
Sunday at 2pm
Opened on January 26, 2010
Closes on March 7, 2010
Classic Stage Company

Reviewed
by Frank J. Avella

David Ives’ fascinating
and ambitious new play, Venus in Fur,
certainly starts with a bang. Literally.
Pre-performance, the audience at Classic
Stage Company curiously stares at a completely
covered set on the thrust stage. We are
warned, along with the no cell phone announcement,
that the play will begin in a few minutes.
And a few minutes later the curtain jarringly
falls simultaneously as the lights glare-up
on an audition set.

Onstage is frustrated
playwright/director, Thomas (Wes Bentley)
at the end of a disappointing day of auditions
for the female lead in his new play. And
similar to the bang the curtains and lights
made a few minute earlier, in blows Vanda
(Nina Arianda) in one of the best entrances
I have seen in years, cussing her head off
about how sorry she is that she’s
late, blaming the rain, and how right she
is for the lead.

We are then privy to brilliant
manipulations on her part as she gets the
tentative scribe to allow her to audition
for the role. After some classic actory
warm-ups that anyone involved in theatre
will find all-too familiar, she reaches
into her many bags and begins to produce
props and costumes. She then shocks us—as
well as Thomas--with her extraordinary reading
of the part of “Vanda” in the
stage version of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s
Venus in Fur, adapted by Thomas.

Insisting the script is
pornographic, Vanda explains: “You
don’t have to tell me about sado-masochism,
I’m in the theatre.”

I will not give too much
more away since part of the many joys of
watching this work is in the constant role
reversals and character driven plot machinations
that continuously keep us guessing. Who
is she? Who sent her? What does she really
want? Who is he? What does he really want?
What has he written? Is life imitating art?
Or vice versa?

With Venus in Fur,
Ives has created a delightfully perceptive
power-shifting play that is as compelling
as it is complex. And director Walter Bobbie
keeps the pace deliciously manic throughout.

Wes Bentley, who splashed
onto the film canvas in American Beauty
a decade ago, delivers a deliberately understated
performance as Thomas, until a role reversal
is forced and he truly dominates in a seemingly
submissive role.

But it is Nina Arianda
who steals the show from glorious beginning
to baffling end. She is a force of nature.
Her line deliveries are impeccable and her
comic genius is such that her hilarious
one-liners never take away from the part
she is playing or her faithfulness to the
text. She reminded me of Julie White—which
is the best compliment I can give her. Arianda
is a frighteningly sensual, sexual being
who seduces Thomas and the entire audience.
We are at her mercy. And it’s a deliriously
fabulous place to be.

“You’re a
playwright. You’re a director. It’s
your job to torture actors.” Vanda’s
wise and direct words are ever-funny but
quite in keeping with the constantly shifting
game being played onstage. And while I found
some of the play to be meandering and repetitive
and the ending wholly unfulfilling, the
journey was psychologically complex and
enjoyable AND watching Nina Arianda made
everything seriously spectacular.

Tickets are $60 Tuesday
through Thursday and $65 Friday through
Sunday. For tickets and information, visit
www.classicstage.org or call (866) 811-4111,
or (212) 352-3101, or visit the CSC box
office at 136 East 13th Street, Monday through
Friday 12 pm to 6 pm.

Yank! the admirable
and ambitious new off- Broadway musical
finds an atypical hero in an era filled
with heroes. The setting is World War II.
Brave men are giving up their lives to fight
totalitarianism in Europe and Asia. But
our protagonist, in this particular instance,
happens to fancy men--something unheard
of back then. Okay, it wasn’t unheard
of, but it was hidden. It certainly wasn’t
something to announce or be proud of.

David and Joseph Zellnik
(who also happen to be brothers and gay)
have created the kind of queer love story
that is not often told and the one that
soars more often than not.

Inspired by Allan Berube’s
Coming Out Under Fire, a groundbreaking
history of gays and lesbians who served
in the military during WW2, the brothers
Zellnik on the timely heels of the hopeful
repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t
Tell, set out to create a faithful
gay love story while working within the
parameters of the old fashioned Broadway
musical. The results are uneven. On the
one hand we are given some rousing 1940s-eque
tunes and heart-grabbing ballads, but the
urgency of the story is sometimes lost amidst
the slightness.

The plot focuses on a
budding relationship between two Army men
serving in the war. Stu (Bobby Steggert)
is a shy, naïve eighteen-year old who
knows he is different from other guys and
is trying his best to fit in. He develops
an immediate crush on the handsome (nickname:
Hollywood) Mitch (Ivan Hernandez), who is
drawn to Stu, but afraid of his own desires.

The book (by David Z,
along with the lyrics) is pretty powerful
stuff, especially when the focus is on the
central couple. Stu’s internal moments,
in particular, are thoughtfully written.
But the director, Igor Goldin, allows the
show to meander too much.

A major problem with the
book is its featured characters are mostly
broad stereotypes. We have the Brooklyn
Pole, the Southern hick (who is the most
vehemently homophobic) and, most offensive
to this journalist, the Sicilian who speaks
the type of broken English that only exists
in dumb musicals. Add to that the insult
of not casting an actual Italian and I-a
may-a have-a to-a con-a-tact-a my-a Uncle-a
Vito!) I’ll admit I could forgive
the broad-stereotype if the character was
well developed and actually funny, but he’s
not, and he’s not.

David Z fares better with
the creation of Artie, a very gay reporter
and a trio of prissy homos who go by the
name of Gone With The Wind characters,
when they’re not cussing and pretending
to be straight (although even they become
overbearing and overdone).

The music, by Joseph,
Z, is pretty infectious throughout and the
songs work nicely. “Click” is
a fantastically fun ditty of seduction while
“Rememb’ring You” is a
sweet and lush ballad that’s an anthem
of sorts. The best number in the show is
“Just True.” sung by the two
enamored men. It’s a gorgeous love
song that transcends who they both are and
pleads for not just acceptance (for who
they are to one another) but respect (for
fighting for their country).

The show had its premiere
in 2005 at the New York Musical Theatre
Festival and had a short run in Brooklyn
in 2007.

With some major changes
and minor fine tuning, Yank! could
be a real contender, but some of the more
misguided missteps (an awful ballet number
is a prime example) would need to be addressed
and the supporting characters given more
substance and less camp. Also, Stu’s
torture scene could and should be so much
more intense and disturbing.

The chief reason to see
the show is the gifted Steggert. He’s
the musical’s heart, anchor and savior.
He has a spectacular stage presence, killer
vocal chops and a genuinely infectious ebullience.
And Steggert gives Stu this constant look
of longing that raises the work to the level
it should reach. He’s longing for
love, longing for respect, longing for understanding,
longing for a day when he can be able to
be who he is and love who he wants to love
without feeling judged, condemned and in
peril.

I do applaud Yank!
for not being afraid to show true tenderness
between two men, I just wish it was more
focused and less messy.

Yank! Performs
at the York Theatre located at The Theatre
at Saint Peter’s (enter on 54th Street,
just East of Lexington Avenue).

Performances began on
February 16th with an official opening set
for Wednesday, February 24th.